Paul Brandley: The Wizards move to 7-2 after a huge performance from their bench in a win against the Orlando Magic. With the bench scoring in double digits, the Washington Wizards demonstrated a bench-fueled victory against a young and energetic opponent. Injury news included!!

1. — Paul Brandley —
Wizards Win Three Straight, Now 7-2
by Paul Brandley

2. For a team that has been questioned as to whether
they have put enough quality pieces around all-star
John Wall, the Washington Wizards played a full team
game on Saturday. With the 98-93 win against the
Orlando Magic in Washington, the Wizards have a firm
hold on first place in the Southeast division and
currently occupy the second seed in the Eastern
Conference standings.

3. Let’s break down what gave the Wizards the win this
week

4. This was a great night for offense from both teams. For
Orlando, starters Channing Frye, Tobias Harris, and
Nikola Vucevic combined for 47 points on 63%
shooting (19-30 overall, 5-8 from 3-point range), and 26
rebounds.

5. Their starters were on point, too, with all five
scoring in double digits, including Victor
Oladipo, who returned from a facial injury.
However, the Wizards were right there with
them and were rewarded for a complete team
effort. John Wall contributed 10 assists to the
teams impressive total of 31 assists, giving him
his sixth double-double of the season with 15
points. As a team, the Wizards shot 50% and
had six players score in double digits.

6. As good as the starters were, the bench is what tipped
the scales for the Wizards. A second line of Kris
Humphries, Otto Porter, Jr., Rasual Butler, Kevin
Seraphin and Andre Miller combined for 48 points on
65% (22-34) shooting, almost half of the team’s 40
rebounds and 12 assists.

7. The Wizards also unexpectedly impressed
with their inside defense. Not really known
for having premier rim defenders, the
Wizards blocked a whopping eight shots
from the Magic. The Wizards were also very
responsible with the ball, limiting their
sometimes frequent turnovers to just eleven
during this game.

8. The win gives the Washington
Wizards a 4-0 record at home,
clearly indicating the level of comfort
and support they feel when playing
for their home crowd. They’ll be off
until Wednesday, when they host
Dirk Nowitzki and the reinvigorated
Dallas Mavericks.

9. Injury Notes
The Orlando Magic have sustained a potentially
devastating blow to their rebuilding plans, losing rookie
forward Aaron Gordon indefinitely to a fracture in his
foot. The Magic are sure to be very cautious, given
Gordon’s perceived upside and the fact that these foot
injuries have been known to linger and hamper big
men’s careers (see Yao Ming).

10. On the bright side, Coach Wittman has let us
know that sharpshooter Bradley Beal will
return from injury to begin practicing with the
team this week. We are not sure when he will
return to play, but with the Wizards playing so
well without him, I’m excited to see him bring
their game to the next level.

11. Thanks!
to learn more, please visit http://paulbrandley.org
See you soon!